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Friday, February 16, 2007

PETA's campaign to persuade people to not wear anything that's been made by ripping the outer flesh off animals has signed up another famous person (well, alright, Jamelia) to rip off her clothes and be photographed.

We're not sure it's such a good idea. Apart from the feeling that PETA have totally run out of ideas - how many naked people have done versions of this ad now? - it might be a little self-defeating. After all, since it's clear that, as long as people wear fur , PETA will persuade pretty young pop stars, models and actors to do nude photoshoots, isn't that going to make people who like to see Jamelia and others with their pants off actively go out and buy rabbit coats?

The difference being, of course, the milk advert is aimed at the twin markets of parents - who appreciate the nostalgia of an ad similar to the one they saw when they were kids - and kids, who don't know that it's an ad which has been running for years. Indeed, milk is a product which benefits from its link to tradition, and not changing the advertising works there.

PETA's campaign, though, hasn't worked - fur sales are rising - and from an organisation which is usually known for its inventive and engaging advertising, falling back on "whack 'em out, then" every time is just lazy.

Now, the Sophie Ellis Bextor one with the fox gizzards - *that* was inventive.

The kind of ad campaign is an easy sell - to the stars. Its a one-stop shop for nubile starlets who need publicity, record sales and maybe some moral/ethical credibility more than their clothes. The star gets to pretend to be a model for a day (hence avoiding the crash diet, gak topups and low self-esteem, though these are optional optouts), a Photoshopper gets work for a week (or more depending on the model) and some poor rabbit gets a few extra carrots to hold still while Lady Airbrushed thinks of the next pair of Blahniks she has on order.